Genevos launches marine fuel cell for zero-emission ferries, service vessels

Home Clean Fuel Genevos launches marine fuel cell for zero-emission ferries, service vessels

May 24, 2024,
by

Fatima Bahtić

French hydrogen power solutions developer Genevos has launched a fully integrated 80 kW marine fuel cell, the HPM-80, for zero-emission ships.

Genevos

As informed, this 80 kW plug-and-play marine fuel cell is stackable to multi-MW scale, enabling energy-intensive applications such as ferries and service vessels to reduce their emissions to zero.

The HPM-80 provides a drop-in solution for decarbonizing boats and ships with propulsion systems from 10 kW to 5 MW. The solution is one-third of the weight of an equivalent diesel genset, and has been engineered to minimize the overall weight and energy consumption of a vessel, according to Genevos.

The range is in the Type Approval Certification process, with the first HPM-80 multi-stacked system to be delivered this summer.

HPM-80s can be stacked to high power to fully decarbonize a diverse range of vessels including ferries, crew transfer vessels, offshore support vessels, tug boats, and even small freighters for short-sea transport, Genevos noted.

Alternatively, hybridization can offer a valuable first step towards full decarbonization, and extend the life of existing vessels. A vast range of commercial applications such as service, fishing and patrol boats operate at low speeds, where a combustion engine is most inefficient and which can be replaced by fuel cell electric propulsion. Such hybridization can reduce fuel consumption by over 50%, according to the French developer.

Additionally, for existing cargo and cruise ships, the HPM-80s can be used to eliminate emissions in port and at anchor by powering auxiliary vessel systems. This is particularly important in populated coastal areas and maritime cities, in order to reduce toxic NOx and particle emissions.

The HPM family uses corrosion-resistant graphite plate technology by integrating Cummins-Hydrogenics HD-series stacks, which have been developed and tested for heavy-duty applications.

“Energy security and reliability is crucial for a vessel and is especially important for a professional boat that can reach over 5,000 hrs of use per year. The independent operation of each module provides that all-important redundancy, and the vessel can continue normal operation if one module is shut down or removed for maintenance,” explained Phil Sharp, CTO and co-founder at Genevos.

To remind, the company recently joined the H2-SEAS consortium that aims to develop and build a hydrogen-electric fishing vessel prototype.